I am tired of hearing how the Bruins are so physical. It simply isn't true any longer. This team is more like the Red Wings with their puck possession play then it is to the Big Bad Bruins! Let's take a look at the stats shall we. The team we like to hate the most, you know that soft, whiny, diving, embellishing bunch, the Montreal Canadiens have played 22 games. As a team they have 521 hits, or 23.68 HPG. Compare that to the Bruins, who have played 19 games and have 479 hits, or 25.12 HPG. The Habs have 14 fighting majors, the Bruins have 14 fighting majors. The Canadiens have blocked 321 shots , or 14.59 per game. The Bruins have blocked 265, or 13.94 shots per game. The league leader in hits is Toronto with 697 total hits and 30.3 per game. The Bruins, minus Lucic up front, do not strike fear into any teams defenseman! This reputation that the Bruins have is not what I have been watching. Emelin and Subban look to wreck people and you better know where they are on the ice. Are they rats, you bet they are, but they are very effective at taking players off their games and they can skate! The midget forwards that the Habs have are not afraid to go into the paint and hack away. The Bruins have 3 losses in regulation, 2 to the Sabres who are not afraid to poke the Bear and 1 to the Habs that are not afraid to poke the Bear. The so-called bully of the Northeast is no longer. I am not saying this is a bad thing, or that the Bruins are candy ashes, but please stop already with this nonsense that the Bruins are so physical, they are average at best in this category!

I am tired of hearing how the Bruins are so physical. It simply isn't true any longer. This team is more like the Red Wings with their puck possession play then it is to the Big Bad Bruins! Let's take a look at the stats shall we. The team we like to hate the most, you know that soft, whiny, diving, embellishing bunch, the Montreal Canadiens have played 22 games. As a team they have 521 hits, or 23.68 HPG. Compare that to the Bruins, who have played 19 games and have 479 hits, or 25.12 HPG. The Habs have 14 fighting majors, the Bruins have 14 fighting majors. The Canadiens have blocked 321 shots , or 14.59 per game. The Bruins have blocked 265, or 13.94 shots per game. The league leader in hits is Toronto with 697 total hits and 30.3 per game. The Bruins, minus Lucic up front, do not strike fear into any teams defenseman! This reputation that the Bruins have is not what I have been watching. Emelin and Subban look to wreck people and you better know where they are on the ice. Are they rats, you bet they are, but they are very effective at taking players off their games and they can skate! The midget forwards that the Habs have are not afraid to go into the paint and hack away. The Bruins have 3 losses in regulation, 2 to the Sabres who are not afraid to poke the Bear and 1 to the Habs that are not afraid to poke the Bear. The so-called bully of the Northeast is no longer. I am not saying this is a bad thing, or that the Bruins are candy ashes, but please stop already with this nonsense that the Bruins are so physical, they are average at best in this category!

So the Canadians arent physical, and neither are the Bruins.

Funny, how they are in first and second, respectively.

I really dont care how they win, as long as they win.

I dont care if we contend with skill or contend w physicality. Just as long as contend.

What happens if you hit someone who doesn't have the puck? It's a penalty right? The team that has the puck the longest is likely to get hit the most. Did you take that info into account when you were doing your calculations?

What happens if you hit someone who doesn't have the puck? It's a penalty right? The team that has the puck the longest is likely to get hit the most. Did you take that info into account when you were doing your calculations?

My point is not to argue why. My point is that the Bruins are not what they are made out to be in the media or by fans. NBC talked about it all game long, like the Bruins are the meatheads and the Canadiens are the skilled bunch. This Bruins team is as skilled as any in the league. They simply, are not the BIG BAD BRUINS.

Hit stats are somewhat subjective but that aside, hits aren't the only measure of how physical a team is. When Boston is locked in they play a smothering style of 5-man D that may not translate in to hits but they are all over the opposing team and playing the body with every stride. I consider that a physical style of play.

Nice point by dez....again, when the B's are right they play more of a puck possession game which means you will be on the receiving end of more hits.

All that being said, they are not the punishing, physical team that perhaps some people believe. In fact, no team is. The rules and the uneven enforcement of the rules don't allow for it. But they are about a physical as any team in the league and more so than most.

I dont care if we contend with skill or contend w physicality. Just as long as contend.

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The Canadiens are more physical than the media and fans recognize and the Bruins aren't as physical as we are lead to believe.

I do care somewhat how they win. I don't want to see a full season of what we saw the other day against the Senators.

In addition, by the overwhelming sentiments on this board regarding embellishment, I don't think that you or others would appreciate a team full of Subban's, Emelin's, Marchand's, etc..., even if they were winning.

Hit stats are somewhat subjective but that aside, hits aren't the only measure of how physical a team is. When Boston is locked in they play a smothering style of 5-man D that may not translate in to hits but they are all over the opposing team and playing the body with every stride. I consider that a physical style of play.

Nice point by dez....again, when the B's are right they play more of a puck possession game which means you will be on the receiving end of more hits.

All that being said, they are not the punishing, physical team that perhaps some people believe. In fact, no team is. The rules and the uneven enforcement of the rules don't allow for it. But they are about a physical as any team in the league and more so than most.

I understand the arguments about the hits stat, and that is why I used blocked shots, and fighting majors as well. What you describe as being all over the opposing team, I interpret as the trap. I don't agree with you that the trap is physical! It may be "tough to play against" because it frustrates you, but physical, I don't see it.

What does Big and Bad mean? Brawls? Tons of fights? How Big and Bad can any team be in todays NHL? Not sure what your looking for, but I think it's common knowledge the Bruins are one of the more physical teams in the league. Who in he legue do you think are more physical than the Bruins?

I think part of the media hypa about the Bruins toughness is not to do with how many hits they have, but who they have. The team has a handful of players that could take on most people in the league if called upon.

Hit stats are somewhat subjective but that aside, hits aren't the only measure of how physical a team is. When Boston is locked in they play a smothering style of 5-man D that may not translate in to hits but they are all over the opposing team and playing the body with every stride. I consider that a physical style of play.

Nice point by dez....again, when the B's are right they play more of a puck possession game which means you will be on the receiving end of more hits.

All that being said, they are not the punishing, physical team that perhaps some people believe. In fact, no team is. The rules and the uneven enforcement of the rules don't allow for it. But they are about a physical as any team in the league and more so than most.

I understand the arguments about the hits stat, and that is why I used blocked shots, and fighting majors as well. What you describe as being all over the opposing team, I interpret as the trap. I don't agree with you that the trap is physical! It may be "tough to play against" because it frustrates you, but physical, I don't see it.

14 fighting majors for the Habs? Who has 90% of those? How many different players do the B's have with a fighting major. Stop looking at stupid stats that don't tell the whole story. They're good for contract negoations & award winners. Do you actually think that the Habs can match the Bruins in all these catorgories for 6 games in the regular season & another 7 in the play-offs? If you do then you're giving Montreal wayyyyy too much respect. They deserve respect, but trying to say their "as bad" as the Bruins are is a little over the top.

I understand the arguments about the hits stat, and that is why I used blocked shots, and fighting majors as well. What you describe as being all over the opposing team, I interpret as the trap. I don't agree with you that the trap is physical! It may be "tough to play against" because it frustrates you, but physical, I don't see it.

I'm agreeing with you, to a point. I don't think what the B's do is trap hockey. Aggressive forechecking, riding guys off the puck, engaging the opponent in front of your net, fighting through checks,etc. all add up to physical play in my book. This is not the same as the wall of Devils lined up to prevent a breakout and then clutching and grabbing you all the way around the rink.

I understand the arguments about the hits stat, and that is why I used blocked shots, and fighting majors as well. What you describe as being all over the opposing team, I interpret as the trap. I don't agree with you that the trap is physical! It may be "tough to play against" because it frustrates you, but physical, I don't see it.

Then you're interpreting it wrong. The trap is a specific play, one the Bruins very seldom use. You'll often see them pushing up two forecheckers, but they're trying to force offensive zone or neutral zone turnovers,and not force the dump in - this is the opposite of the neural zone trap.

Although I hear where the OP is coming from in a sense, I think that statistically speaking (hits, fights, NOT blocks) are misleading. Personally, I believe the Bruins fight less because they don't have to fight as often or simply can't find a partner. I laugh when McQuaid is BEGGING for someone to drop the gloves and no one will.

Hits, I think you've got a quality vs. quantity thing going on there. A hit from Marty St. Louis should count as 1/2 of a hit from Lucic, Chara, Seidenberg, etc. Big Bad Bruins? I still think so.

No, they're not "Big and Bad" and it would actually help them if that rep disappeared or at least faded a bit. The thing is, they can sure as heck play big and bad. Horton can hit more than he has, and he's exhaustingly strong when he wants to play hard. Bergeron and Marchand aren't so much straight on collision artists, but they wear you down by leaning on you and burning energy. Seidenberg, Ference, McQuaid and Boychuk are all capable of looking for opportunities to rock someone, but the system doesn't set them up to do it regularly. And playing against Chara must be like climbing a mountain. With someone beating you with a stick the whole way up. Campbell and Thornton can hit with relish, and Paille doesn't so much hit guys as get on them faster than they expect then take advantage of them being less prepared for contact. The third line is currently the least physical line on the team - but we don't need to go over their shortcomings again here.

Now if Thomas had taught Tuukka that cross-body block....

Point is, no, their game isn't so much big and bad as it is grinding and inexorable. But what they usually do and what they can do when the blood boils - those are two different things.

What does Big and Bad mean? Brawls? Tons of fights? How Big and Bad can any team be in todays NHL? Not sure what your looking for, but I think it's common knowledge the Bruins are one of the more physical teams in the league. Who in he legue do you think are more physical than the Bruins?

Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, NYR, Ottawa, Pittsburgh in the EAST. Common Knowledge or perception?

If you were a defenseman in the NHL and you had to face the Bruins forwards. Who would strike fear in your game from a physical standpoint, someone that you don't want to be first on the puck? Milan Lucic, that's it!

On D, Chara is a beast, but he is a gentlemanly player, Ference doesn't scare anyone, McQuaid is a good fighter, but I don't think he strikes fear into anyone with his physical play, #44 is a tank, but not nasty, Boychuk can land a few and take a few, Dougie is 19 and doesn't yet use his size.

What does Big and Bad mean? Brawls? Tons of fights? How Big and Bad can any team be in todays NHL? Not sure what your looking for, but I think it's common knowledge the Bruins are one of the more physical teams in the league. Who in he legue do you think are more physical than the Bruins?

Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, NYR, Ottawa, Pittsburgh in the EAST. Common Knowledge or perception?

If you were a defenseman in the NHL and you had to face the Bruins forwards. Who would strike fear in your game from a physical standpoint, someone that you don't want to be first on the puck? Milan Lucic, that's it!

On D, Chara is a beast, but he is a gentlemanly player, Ference doesn't scare anyone, McQuaid is a good fighter, but I don't think he strikes fear into anyone with his physical play, #44 is a tank, but not nasty, Boychuk can land a few and take a few, Dougie is 19 and doesn't yet use his size.

Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, NYR, Ottawa, Pittsburgh in the EAST. Common Knowledge or perception?

If you were a defenseman in the NHL and you had to face the Bruins forwards. Who would strike fear in your game from a physical standpoint, someone that you don't want to be first on the puck? Milan Lucic, that's it!

On D, Chara is a beast, but he is a gentlemanly player, Ference doesn't scare anyone, McQuaid is a good fighter, but I don't think he strikes fear into anyone with his physical play, #44 is a tank, but not nasty, Boychuk can land a few and take a few, Dougie is 19 and doesn't yet use his size.

With the exception of maybe TO (maybe) and Philly none of those teams are any more physical then the Bruins....perhaps you could flesh out your theory on toughness.

I disagree on McQuaid, I do think that certain players on the ice looking to run the best skilled Bruins player or goalie have to think twice with Adam on the ice. I remember when the Bruins used to be the heaviest team, per player, in the league during the mid and late 90s and skilled teams skated around them. So the good comes with the bad on bigger, badder teams.

Now I think this years version has a good mix of quick forwards and bigger bruising players. The regular season stats go out the window once the playoffs start anyways. Also remember the home team statician are the ones who keep the stats for website reporting. No way are the Bruins going to finish a game with more hits on the road.

What does Big and Bad mean? Brawls? Tons of fights? How Big and Bad can any team be in todays NHL? Not sure what your looking for, but I think it's common knowledge the Bruins are one of the more physical teams in the league. Who in he legue do you think are more physical than the Bruins?

Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, NYR, Ottawa, Pittsburgh in the EAST. Common Knowledge or perception?

If you were a defenseman in the NHL and you had to face the Bruins forwards. Who would strike fear in your game from a physical standpoint, someone that you don't want to be first on the puck? Milan Lucic, that's it!

On D, Chara is a beast, but he is a gentlemanly player, Ference doesn't scare anyone, McQuaid is a good fighter, but I don't think he strikes fear into anyone with his physical play, #44 is a tank, but not nasty, Boychuk can land a few and take a few, Dougie is 19 and doesn't yet use his size.

What forward on Toronto strikes fear into opposing defenseman? I would say none of those teams are overall more physical than the Bruins.bruins physical play is not limited to Lucic. I don't think Marchand striles fear into opposing players, but he does play physical.Same with Horton,Campbell etc.. Each team has it's share of physical players, but the bruins have the most physical forward in Lucic, and the most physical defenseman in Chara.Also, I'd be willing to bet if you asked a defenseman who has played against all the teams you mentioned (P.K Subban) he'd tell you that the Boston forwards are the most physical.

I disagree on McQuaid, I do think that certain players on the ice looking to run the best skilled Bruins player or goalie have to think twice with Adam on the ice. I remember when the Bruins used to be the heaviest team, per player, in the league during the mid and late 90s and skilled teams skated around them. So the good comes with the bad on bigger, badder teams.

Now I think this years version has a good mix of quick forwards and bigger bruising players. The regular season stats go out the window once the playoffs start anyways. Also remember the home team statician are the ones who keep the stats for website reporting. No way are the Bruins going to finish a game with more hits on the road.

That's my point San. These Bruins are skilled and can skate with anyone. However, I don't think that the Bruins have a good mix up front. Not enough guys willing to bang the body.

MeanE you basically just provided stats that show the Bruins on average out-hit the Canadiens and have as many fights in fewer games...

Regardless I would say that the Bruins absolutely are more physical.

I provided the stats to show that there is not a large gap between the two teams as many seem to think and I don't think the Bruins are absolutely more physical then the Habs. If the 2 teams cleared the benches for a knock down drag out brawl, my money is on the Bruins. But in terms of physical hockey, I see the Canadiens matching the Bruins.

What forward on Toronto strikes fear into opposing defenseman? I would say none of those teams are overall more physical than the Bruins.bruins physical play is not limited to Lucic. I don't think Marchand striles fear into opposing players, but he does play physical.Same with Horton,Campbell etc.. Each team has it's share of physical players, but the bruins have the most physical forward in Lucic, and the most physical defenseman in Chara.Also, I'd be willing to bet if you asked a defenseman who has played against all the teams you mentioned (P.K Subban) he'd tell you that the Boston forwards are the most physical.

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Yeah, PK was so intimidated that he laid out Marchand again and had 4 other hits to boot. Emelin & PK are not intimidated by the Bruins forwards at all.